Summer is all about taking time for yourself, and spending it somewhere away from all the daily stresses life brings. Certain destinations may seem pricey, but they don’t always have to be. Thanks to our habitual use of the internet, planning the perfect and reasonable vacation is a couple of clicks away. 

The first thing is deciding where you want to travel. Consider places most people aren’t interested in visiting on their big summer trip. In fact, the closer you are to where you live, the cheaper the total will be. Taking a trip to your local park or exploring a place within your city can provide an opportunity to discover the fun that your state has to offer.

Alyssa Dagostino, an SLU graduate student getting a master’s in strategic communication, said, “Me and some of my friends have driven to Bay St. Louis or even Orange Beach for the day and came back! It is not that far of a drive and worth a quick reset before heading back to Hammond.” 

For those inclined to have a farther get-away, make sure to check often into the pricing for plane tickets on multiple websites. Keeping your travel plans flexible will allow you to find more opportunities to save money. 

Things like scarcer flight times and connecting flights are important to be open to. Traveling during the midweek is optimal for slower-paced airport experiences and cheaper plane tickets all around.

Of course, it would be excellent to stay in a five-star hotel within the main city of your destination, but that will boost the price of your trip by a great deal. Research smaller apartments on sites such as Airbnb and VRBO, hostels or even a member of the family’s home. 

Elana Guillory, a recent Southeastern graduate, said, “I made a lot of international friends through ISU here at Southeastern that I have been able to visit and have been kind enough to host me.” 

ISU is an organization that promotes sociability between international and American students at Southeastern and has been a great outlet for those looking to meet with students from other countries. 

An additional cheap vacation tactic is to pack food for the trip. Instead of an everyday restaurant bill and tip, loading up an ice chest with each day’s meals makes the trip less expensive and less stressful. 

Saving money is arguably one of life’s biggest gratifications, especially for students. Making memories while you do so is an ideal situation for anyone looking forward to getting away during the summer months.